Mr. Cohen is a Minnesota State Senator chairing the Finance Committee. He serves on the boards of the Tyrone Guthrie Theater and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Formerly, he was the chairman of the Arts, Tourism and Cultural Resources Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures and this year he received the Public Leadership in the Arts Award from the Americans for the Arts. He has been responsible for significant arts and humanities public funding increases in Minnesota and most recently initiated the successful arts and culture section of the Minnesota Legacy Amendment.